Handheld positioning devices are used in a variety of applications. These devices are traditionally used as computer input devices, e.g., a mouse. The algorithms used to determine the position of a mouse are generally suitable for their intended applications for two reasons. First, these applications generally do not require high resolution positioning. As input devices, a user may move the mouse to control an on-screen cursor. In general, only a low-resolution positioning operation is required to effectuate the control of the on-screen cursor in a manner required for most programs. The second reason that traditional positioning algorithms are generally suitable for their intended applications is related to the fact that the on-screen movement of the cursor acts as visual feedback to the user. This only requires that the positioning device detect relative movement, which may be translated into cursor movement. It does not require a determination of the absolute position of the device relative to a fixed reference location. Detecting relative movement in this sense rather than absolute positioning may avoid the accumulation of errors that may occur through a positioning algorithm. Furthermore, any positioning errors that may occur would be communicated to the user through the cursor movement so that the user may control the mouse in a manner to compensate for the errors.